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Neal

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Everything posted by Neal

  1. Neal
    Neal I know you said before,but I can't remember why did you choose the kelpie over a border collie for a mooching dog. It's a very long story (so long that I once turned it into an article for EDRD) but I'll try to give you an abridged version. I started out with collie crosses while I was living in Cumbria (a half bred beardie x greyhound and a 3/4 collie 1/4 greyhound) followed by a collie x whippet when I returned to Hampshire. However, before I had them I did a lot of research on the difference between beardies and borders (in the days when a lot of research meant sitting in a libr
  2. Neal
    As mentioned above, a faster dog may catch a hell of a lot more in a lot of circumstances but, in some places, the average farm dog or shooting dog probably catches more than the average lurcher. It depends on your ground, your motivation and your outlook.
  3. Neal
    Nobody in particular, just the kind of thing that often happens with so called experts.
  4. Neal
    To be perfectly honest they aren't rare. Logically speaking their presence in the south east shouldn't halt construction of anything. The legislation governing Gcn is European... They are rare on the continent but I would suggest that most suitable habitat in the south East, Midlands, and North of England will have them. Oh well, never mind, I was just pleased to see one as we mainly get palmates around here. The farmer has put a new wildlife pond in a couple of fields away so maybe the male I saw will make it to that pond instead of the temporary pond near where I found him...or I could
  5. Neal
    To be perfectly honest they aren't rare. Logically speaking their presence in the south east shouldn't halt construction of anything. The legislation governing Gcn is European... They are rare on the continent but I would suggest that most suitable habitat in the south East, Midlands, and North of England will have them. Oh well, never mind, I was just pleased to see one as we mainly get palmates around here. The farmer has put a new wildlife pond in a couple of fields away so maybe the male I saw will make it to that pond instead of the temporary pond near where I found him...or I co
  6. Neal
    Kanny; thanks for all that advice. I'm going to book an appointment to see my GP soon so that I can get some advice from her too. She's one of those easygoing types who advises against taking or doing anything unless it's definitely necessary so may give me a different slant on it. Thanks again!
  7. Neal
    I saw an ad on Preloved about a week ago for some in Hambledon (not too far from you?) but I think it may have been two jills and a hob. Good luck with your search.
  8. Neal
    I bought a Scout a couple of years ago after constantly hitting the forks and my thumb with a milbro and my accuracy increased amazingly. The big benefit with them is that you can take the elastic off and change it easily (as it's held in place by a screwed in plate) so it makes experimenting easier.
  9. Neal
    My kelpies catch more squirrels than rabbits nowadays but they often seem to need a bit of encouragement to eat them...not sure why. I've never eaten one as I gather you need a fair few to make a single burger and I only ever catch them singly (usually when they're burying their nuts!) but I'm sure I read Hugh F-W say he prefers the taste to rabbit. I also overheard a conversation in which one old boy in Chagford was extolling the virtues of squirrel meat. In my case Walshie it's pigeons...that's the only thing I can't get Scout to retrieve...she sneaks off and won't come back until sh
  10. Neal
    Sorry Kanny; no idea! I'm booked in for a chat after Xmas to talk through my options. He said they could leave them and keep fingers crossed, ping them with sound waves to break them up again (but needs three treatments per stone) or laser them. I think my January appointment is with a more senior surgeon who'll have more experience of how to proceed. We think it may be possibly genetic as my brother also had some this year and my mum and uncle both had kidney problems (one had one kidney and the other had three!).
  11. Neal
    Apologies for a late addition to the thread but I've not been on the forum for about three weeks: I had a 3/4 collie 1/4 greyhound back in the early 90s and he had an amazing coat and stamina. Re the amount of patoral blood to have in a lurcher I completely agree with all those who've stated above that it depends on your ground and what you're using them for. Like Tiercel said in an earlier post; I'm definitely not into the numbers game and anything I catch is a plus to an enjoyable walk/hike/mooch with the dogs but, due to the heavily undergrowth-strewn woodland and small fields with thic
  12. Neal
    I had three or four about eleven or twelve years ago. The pain was indescribable! I passed one, had one blasted with sound waves and one was pulled out via the nearest exit! I went in for a scan recently for something else and they basically said, "the good news is that it's not what we were worried about...but the bad news is you have six new kidney stones!" I'm not a happy bunny. Due to advances in treatment I think they're intending to laser them with keyhole surgery this time but I'm not looking forward to the stent...or the excruciating pain if they start moving before the treatment.
  13. Neal
    I found one on my permission earlier this year in a hedgerow that's due to have a housing estate on either side! I took a photo as evidence so maybe I can use it to halt the work...I doubt it though...not in the south east commuter belt!
  14. Neal
    Can't they use the DNA?...oh...hang on...it said "slashed the tyres": not "slashed ON the tyres"...my mistake!
  15. Neal
    The sire of my two bitches was a cattle-working kelpie and his owner told me he'd seen off a few foxes in his time. He also told me how his massive stud bull used to shake with fear whenever he stepped into the field! My first kelpie Rusty (in my avatar) never showed any interest in foxes and Scout doesn't seem that fussed either whereas Amber always gave chase and Noggin is showing signs of being keen too. Noggin also has the benefit of being a lot bigger so I'm less concerned about him getting in trouble (Scout is barely 18" and about 26lbs whereas Noggin is over 22" and weighs about 43lbs)
  16. Neal
    thanks neal yeah im really pleased with her so far, shes picking things up just great for what i wanted her for really. i got her so i can retire my old bitch whos also just a random terrier mongrel and 11yrs + old now, she has been spot on marking ferreting and bushing all the yrs ive had her,i hope this little one can fill her shoes Yeah, it's an odd one that...when I knew Rusty was on his last legs I did a lot of research before getting Noggin as his future replacement so that their characters would be similar. However, although Scout is a pure kelpie too she looks a lot more mongrell
  17. Neal
    Mine are definitely both! Having said that, it's a trait I've come to like and appreciate. With previous collie crosses I expected instant compliance (and invariably got it). When I got Rusty I was one of those people who was under the misapprehension that kelpies were like border collies but with better feet and heat tolerance...so I had a steep learning curve. I could have forced him into a steep learning curve but I'd like to think I was wise enough by then to realise that I was the one who needed to change. As a result I now find that I almost always have to ask for things twice. Firs
  18. Neal
    I'll have to search out some of those articles from under the bed (how sad is that; keeping EDRD rather than porn under the bed ). As for the back pain; I used to rest it, thinking that was the best thing to do, but I now find that keeping it exercised is best...lots of long walks with the kelpies! Lubrication helps too...in the form of a pint of Fursty Ferret!
  19. Neal
    SirBlessed: You can definitely get it "down there" and there are a few writers from Australia who contribute to the magazine. Bird: I fell off a chair a tad over two years ago and landed with the top of the chair slamming into the small of my back (I was secreting kids presents in the secret hiding place at the top of my wardrobe) and I still find that if I sit at a funny angle on the sofa I know I'll wake up with a bad back again and regret it. As for EDRD articles; I read it for years before I summoned up the courage to write an article. I just felt that, because mine weren't earth dogs
  20. Neal
    When my grandad had the old council farm dad says he had collies that worked cattle well, stopped foxes and would pull up a bolting bullock. I only really see kelpies with the same pig headedness now Kelpies...pig-headed? Mine are all sweetness and light and "Yes Sir; straight away Sir!" Honest!
  21. Neal
    My old kelpie bitch is a tad under 18" and thinks she's a whippet x terrier. I've lost her for a quarter of an hour or so a few times and then found her by following the sound of grunting as she tried to chew her way through a root with only the tip of her tail still showing. Fortunately she seemed to know it was different when I had a box of ferrets with us...then she just stared alternately between me and the bury.
  22. Neal
    She looks like a lovely little thing reddog. It's funny how often, when you ask people about their best dogs or the ones they have the fondest memories of, they're often, "Oh it had a bit of this and a bit of that," and they're often not what you'd necessarily go for on paper but something about them clicks.
  23. Neal
    Jay; sorry to add another to the mix but I love my lundhags! They don't have a waterproof lining but you make them waterproof by applying a treatment to the leather. Believe me it works brilliantly. On the rare occasions when your feet feel a tad wet then the boot dries out much quicker than a boot with a waterproof lining which, if water does get in, will act like a plastic bag and not let the water out! Also, partly due to the lack of a lining, they're generally much lighter too.
  24. Neal
    Great write up; I'm suitably jealous. On a slightly different note...I really do think there are several people on this forum whose exploits would make a good read in Earth Dog Running Dog.
  25. Neal
    Don't listen to them kyboy...follow your dreams and get a heeler! Only joking! In all seriousness, if you know someone who used one for the same job then maybe it is the right breed but I'd also agree that a scenthound should be ideal for it too. I'd argue that the main point to consider would be matching your character/temperament to that of the dog as it'll make every day (both the working and the non-working ones) a lot more enjoyable. I guess that's what people are understandably saying above i.e. a heeler could be perfect for that job but​ would it be as happy when it's not working?
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